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Volume 26, Number 12—December 2020
Dispatch

Novel Rickettsia Species Infecting Dogs, United States

James M. Wilson, Edward B. Breitschwerdt, Nicholas B. Juhasz, Henry S. Marr, Joao Felipe de Brito Galvão, Carmela L. Pratt, and Barbara A. QurolloComments to Author 
Author affiliations: North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Raleigh, NC, USA (J.M. Wilson, E.B. Breitschwerdt, N.B. Juhasz, H.S. Marr, B.A. Qurollo); VCA Arboretum View Animal Hospital, Downers Grove, Illinois, USA (J.F. de Brito Galvão); Oklahoma Veterinary Specialists, Tulsa Oklahoma, USA (C.L. Pratt)

Main Article

Table 2

Canine vector-borne disease diagnostic results for blood and serum samples from 3 dogs infected with a novel Rickettsia species*

Sample dates
 CVBD panel†
 IFA‡
 Rickettsia PCR§
23S-5S ITS
 htrA (17kDa)
 mmpA-purC ITS
 gltA region
 ompA region
1
 2
 3
1
 2
 3
Case 1
2018 May 5¶
 –
 1:512
 +
 +
 +
 +
 +
 +
+
 +
 –**
Case 2
2019 May 8¶ – 1:256 + + + + NA†† + + + NA††
2019 May 15 – 1:8,192 – NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
2019 May 28 – 1:1,024 – NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
2019 Jul 16 NA 1:2,048 NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
2019 Oct 2 – 1:2,048 – NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
2019 Nov 12
 –
 1:2,048
 –
 NA
 NA
 NA
 NA
 NA
NA
 NA
 NA
Case 3
2019 Aug 28¶‡‡ – 1:1,024 + + + + + + + + +
2019 Sep 10
 NA
 1:8,192
 –
 NA
 NA
 NA
 NA
 NA
NA
 NA
 NA
*CVBD, canine vectorborne disease; IFA, immunofluorescence assay; NA, not applicable; +, positive; –, negative.
†Panel includes IFA serology for Babesia canis vogeli, B. gibsoni, Bartonella henselae, B. koehlerae, B. vinsonii berkhoffii, and Ehrlichia canis; point-of-care ELISA serology test SNAP 4DX Plus for Dirofilaria immitis antigen and antibodies against Anaplasma phagocytophilum, A. platys, Borrelia burgdorferi, Ehrlichia canis, and E. ewingii; and PCR for Anaplasma, Babesia, Bartonella, Ehrlichia, hemotropic Mycoplasma, Neoehrlichia, and Neorickettsia.
‡IFA results are reported as reciprocal titers. All samples were positive for R. rickettsii.
§PCR assay gene targets 23S-5S ITS, htrA (17 kDa), mmpA-purC ITS, gltA, and ompA. 
¶Sample tested before doxycycline treatment administered.
**The PCR was negative despite repeated attempts. ompA region 3 PCR assay was designed to bridge ompA regions 1 and 2 to obtain an additional 281 bps. The total amplicon size of ompA region 3 is 533 bp (Appendix Table). DNA from case 1 was >1 year old when retrospective PCRs were performed. Poor DNA quality might have prevented amplification of the larger amplicon.
††PCR assays were not performed due to depleted blood sample for DNA extraction and testing. 
‡‡GenBank accession nos. for sequences from case 3: 23S-5S ITS, MT050448; htrA (17 kDa), MT050446; mmpA-purC ITS, MT066187; gltA, MT050445; and ompA, MT050447.

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Page created: July 28, 2020
Page updated: November 19, 2020
Page reviewed: November 19, 2020
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